canvas / wood

Punkin’ was mostly an experiment with modeling paste. I’ve been leaning into fall color palettes lately and wanted to merge my love of drippy backgrounds with landscape painting. I was worried the drippy background might be too busy for the level of detail I wanted in the pumpkin patch. I had some modeling paste that hadn’t found its purpose yet, and it seemed like a possible solution. Since this was my first time using modeling paste, I was a little skeptical—but it turned out better than I expected! I especially love the texture it created for the pumpkins. There’s still a lot to learn, and I already have a better idea of what to try next time. I’m excited to incorporate modeling paste into more future pieces.

Forged in Fire is a personal reminder that my positivity isn’t rooted in naivety, but in resilience. It represents my perseverance and my determination not to slip into nihilistic or cynical ways of thinking. My confidence has been hard won. I’ve never been naturally self-assured; at times my self-belief has felt as fragile as glass. But like glass, it can be recycled. Every time it’s shattered, I’ve gathered the pieces, returned to the furnace, and rebuilt it—at first with nothing but blood, sweat, tears, and white knuckles. Again and again. Not always immediately, but always with new tools and techniques to strengthen and reinforce it.

This piece reflects that process through its layers. I used nearly every supply I had on hand—acrylic paint, acrylic markers, colored pencils, watercolor markers, India ink, oil pastels, and gel pens—applied in a way that felt both haphazard and intuitive, mirroring the messy, intuitive work of rebuilding myself.

Purple at the Disco was started in 2022, inspired by Sari Shryack and her discoball series. I decided to give it a go but quickly got discouraged. I didn’t even complete the first layer. My (sweet, loving, amazing) partner decided to hang it up, unfinished, with exposed wood. I kept it up for about a year until I couldn’t stand looking at that raw wood anymore. I took it down and started the second layer. I wanted to play with painting expressively, and this seemed like a pretty low-stakes way to get started. I really wanted to lean into the playfulness of art so I didn’t think too hard about what went where. I’m happy to report that it is back up on the wall and I don’t hate it anymore. 

Fall Floral was made alongside Punkin! I had just got some cheap oil pastels to add to my practice, and desperately wanted to play with them. One of my worst habits as a painter is putting WAY too much paint on my palette. I use a crayon box to help extend drying time, and that usually works pretty well. This time, I decided to make a second painting with the leftover paint. It was all very loose and playful. I didn’t have any intention of sharing it with others. But I had SO MUCH FUN. I love how vibrant and expressive the oil pastel looks. It’s just a folksy lil fall floral and I love it. 

The Light is an acrylic painting on 4x4" canvas panel done in 2024. I was inspired by J. Cole's lyric in Pretty Little Fears by 6LACK. It was an unexpected reminder of Ram Dass's lectures about how people show up as mirrors. Folks we describe as "difficult people" are often just opportunities for us to recognize something within ourselves. It works both ways, though. When we feel inspired or in awe of someone else, it's because there is a part of us that is the same, and can recognize how beautiful those qualities are. And they HAVE to reside in us to appreciate it, because otherwise our ego would feel threatened by the lack (which would just be something else to notice, no worries)

I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful lights in my life. Thank you for seeing me, you, us 

Purple Lake was an experiment for using the oil pastels on wood cutouts. Also never planned on sharing this one, but there’s just something here that I can’t quite articulate. It feels like it’s a step in a different direction, but I’m not sure what direction that is. I’m sure it’ll be clear later on, and that’s why I’ve included it. Named Purple Lake for my first favorite watercolor pigment. I could’ve never guessed I’d be here when I first started painting. 

Reciprocal Radiance was created as a gift for a friend who felt like my equal and opposite. I love playing with geometrical shapes and symmetry. 

Stained Glass Daisy was my first time using tinted gesso as a base on the wood cutouts and boy-howdy was it life-changing. Also my first time painting stained glass. I really tried to think about glass and how the pieces would be cut if it was actually made of glass. I know not all the shapes are practical, but the texture I was able to achieve with the heavy body acrylic really makes it look like textured glass. I was still very inexperienced with using a brush for detailed linework. Thankfully I chose a pretty forgiving subject.

Free Hugs was made while I was in a particularly cheeky mood. It’s technically “unfinished” but I never got back around to it. Honestly, though, the more I looked at it, the more I liked it. I decided to keep this intact and repurpose the design for one of my postcards. It’s also featured in my Howdy Doodle Botanical Coloring Zine! 

I made this while I was high and listening to “Smoke Break” by Chance the Rapper. It’s technically a fingerpainting. I had been looking at the smoke coming off of the bowl and wanted to find a way to paint it. I love watching smoke, there’s something so relaxing about it. (DONT SMOKE, KIDS)